For the treatment of extremity fractures, casts or bandages made from plaster of Paris or their modern plastic variants are normally applied. Not only does the application of such casts or bandages call for considerable skill and relevant effort on the part of the staff, but frequently also leads to exceedingly vexatious pressure sores that develop due to edges or projections on the inside of the cast or bandage. After the reduction of the respective fracture, the patient is subjected to the painful phase of the bandages being applied afresh and having to wait for the plaster to set. Finally, as a rule, it is necessary to know when the casts or bandages are employed, to effect a replacement of this cast or bandage when, in the course of the fracture treatment, a detumescence of the limb in question takes place. This, too, is a costly and effort-intensive procedure and a painful experience for the patient.
A device is presently known from the WO 92/04880 for the ensheathing fixation of extremities and extremity regions. This device is provided especially for the treatment of extremity fractures within the area of the lower leg, thigh, forearm and upper arm, and possesses at least two mutually tightenable shell portions that surround the extremity to be ensheathed. Between the shell portions and the extremity, two moldable, vacuum-tight-constructed paddings fitted with at least one valve are provided, in which a large quantity of in particular small-grain filling material particles which are moveable relative to each other is to be found. The contents of the paddings can be emptied.
These known plaster of Paris and plastic casts and bandages presuppose a predetermined angular position between the foot and lower leg, in which case preference is given to the normal angular position of the joints at an angle of 90.degree.. Once the cast or bandage has been applied, a change in the angular position is no longer possible. If, on the other hand, an operating cast or bandage is applied on the seam of the Achilles tendon, the procedure is that, subsequent to the operation, the lower leg is stood up vertically and raised to the maximal pes equinus position. Also in the case of a closed pes equinus plaster cast, the foot does not assume a normal angular position relative to the lower leg, but the positioning of the foot in relation to the lower leg is effected at an angle greater than 90.degree.; often at an angle of 120.degree. so that this angular position of the foot relative to the lower leg is preset and fixated. In this case, too, a change in the angular position is not possible.
In order to take remedial action here, it has already been proposed to utilize an angle adjusting or setting means between the foot portion and the leg portion of each shell portion, with the aid of which said components can be locked in a predetermined, but freely selectable, angular position.
The disadvantage associated with the plaster of Paris casts or bandages as well as of the devices stated in the foregoing resides in that they, in conformity with the required stability, still possess relatively great weight and practically prevent any air from being supplied to the ensheathed extremity regions. A further disadvantage of the aforedescribed device consists in that the internal dimensions of the shell portion are laid down constructionally and it is only possible to provide a balance with respect to different extremity diameters with the aid of paddings or other filling materials.